Samoan rugby manager fined 100 pigs for losing

Samoan fans cheer for their country at the 2011 Rugby World Cup. (Gabriel Bouys/Getty Images)

Tuala Mathew Vaea, manager of the Manu Samoa rugby team has been fined 100 pigs after rumors of bad behavior at the Rugby World Cup surfaced, according to the New Zealand Herald.

These allegations came to light when the captain of Vaea’s team sent a report to the Samoan Prime Minister, criticizing the manager’s behavior throughout the tournament.

According to the report, Vaea “did not want to be there at most times” and “spent most of his time drinking.” After a disappointing showing in the tournament–Samoa placed third in their pool behind South Africa and Wales–the coach was fired upon returning home.

But merely being fired as coach was apparently not a sufficient punishment. The Chief of Vaela’s home village of Leauva’a accused the rugby manager of tarnishing the title bestowed on him before entering the tournament. The coach’s punishment? A village council meeting ended with the order that Vaea pay 100 sows to his village. This is the equivalent of about $2,500 USD.

To put that in perspective, New York Jets coach Rex Ryan was fined $75,000 this week after directing some harsh words to a Patriots fan.